Black parents say movement to ban critical race theory is ruining their children's education

When Danielle Atkinson's daughter brought home a second-grade assignment that highlighted Christopher Columbus's explorations, Atkinson said she began to notice inequities in the curriculum being taught in the school district.

There were plenty of lessons about Columbus and other historic White figures, but the contributions of Black Americans were largely missing in the coursework at Royal Oak Public Schools in Michigan, she said.

Atkinson and other Black and brown parents felt the students weren't learning enough about the civil rights movement, the Harlem Renaissance, the desegregation of schools and the importance of Black History Month so they formed the Royal Oak Multicultural Parents Association in 2016. They demanded more culturally diverse curriculum from the district, but Atkinson said she's seen little progress.